For what its worth my view is that six strokes doesnt hurt six times more than one stroke or any multiple thereof.
For me some of significant differences are :
It is easy to imagine the sensation of one stroke. Close your eyes and think about the cane hitting your bottom. It hurts doesnt it. You can feel that burning pain. The first thing you want to do is to rub it away. Now try multiplying that feeling by six. Bet you cant. Try doing it with stubbing your toe. Sure it hurts but you cant imagine it hurting six times more.
I suspect that there are two significant factors at work here. The first is psychological.